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To All Active ALPA Members  -20-  January 26, 1948

only a few of the reasons. Nevertheless, unless we are careful with our outgo, every year will be a very expensive year. 1948 is a year in which we must cut operating expenses. Flight pay losses have always caused Headquarters considerable distress and uncertainty. Our Bookkeeping and Accounting Department feels that we have been taken advantage of in some instances on flight pay loss. Steps have been taken to tighten up on the handling of this part of our expenditures.  Headquarters' new method of checking and paying flight pay loss is described in the following quoted paragraphs which will appear on the back of our 1948 flight pay vouchers: 

"INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING FLIGHT PAY LOSS REPORTS

"ALPA Headquarters is responsible to the membership for handling its affairs upon strict business principles and it develops upon Association members to furnish satisfactory evidence of pay loss when acting in behalf of the Association on Association business. 

"Because of the terrific amount of money involved in flight pay loss, the Association cannot continue to exist unless such payments are subject to careful scrutiny and checked and double-checked for accuracy and whether or not every reasonable effort was made to make up lost trips, by exchange, or to get in a monthly block of flying time by making the necessary trips prior to or after the period for which flight pay loss is being claimed in any month, in accordance with the By-Laws. 

"Hereafter, in order that flight pay loss payments to ALPA members who are on Association business may be properly accounted for, it will be necessary for all pilots submitting pay loss reports to Headquarters to substantiate such reports with Company 'Pilot Payroll Record' forms or forms serving the same purpose, as are furnished pilots by their companies showing the trip and pay record for the month in which flight pay loss occurred.

"Please note, Headquarters will return all Company pilot payroll record forms upon checking same against the properly completed Reports of Flight Pay Loss Submitted.  

"YOUR COOPERATION WILL EXPEDITE PAYMENT TO YOU OF FLIGHT PAY LOSS. NO PAYMENTS WILL BE MADE WITHOUT COMPLIANCE WITH THE FOREGOING PROCEDURE."

One phase of the "where-do-the-dues-go?" problem never has been made clear to ALPA members. A large part of the dues paid into ALPA merely passes through Headquartes' books and is paid back into the hands of air line pilots for flight pay loss and expenses incurred while representing the Association. During 1947, Headquarters had as high as 20 regular air line pilots on its flight pay loss and expense rolls at one time, acting as employment-agreement making conferees. We have had as many as five regular air line pilots, and never less than one, on expenses and flight pay loss, including base pay, on ALPA engineering and air safety assignments in Washington and elsewhere. Without these activities, the state of our air safety affairs would be inexpressibly bad. All of this represents a terrific expense that comes directly out of the quarterly dues. In other words, it is paid into ALPA by the members and is paid out forthwith to the members representing ALPA in the form of salaries and expenses while on such representing duty. The money to pay the salaries and expenses of regular air line pilots on ALPA representing duties must be collected and paid out by Headquarters, which is an added handling expense.